McLaren 720S - 2017 | Page 33 | FerrariChat

McLaren 720S - 2017

Discussion in 'McLarenChat.com' started by dros1, Dec 18, 2016.

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  1. frefan

    frefan F1 Veteran

    Apr 21, 2004
    7,370
    #801 frefan, May 30, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  2. frefan

    frefan F1 Veteran

    Apr 21, 2004
    7,370
    #802 frefan, May 30, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Backup camera is big and clear also worked very well. Here there is kind of an orange glare my phone is picking up because my car had a tan interior.
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  3. frefan

    frefan F1 Veteran

    Apr 21, 2004
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    #803 frefan, May 30, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Parking assist an absolute must IMO to avoid curbing your wheels in tight places like French toll booths, the euro train, hotel parking
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  4. lcworld

    lcworld Formula Junior

    Dec 25, 2013
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    Mclaren is fortunate to have Frefan, MarkNC as their customers.
     
  5. frefan

    frefan F1 Veteran

    Apr 21, 2004
    7,370
    #805 frefan, May 30, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Sitting here at Heathrow airport with some time to kill so I'll post up some final thoughts.

    The long throttle pedal throw of the 650s is gone and now the pedal throw is more like a 458. Personally I didn't mind the long pedal but many did not. now with just the slightest pressure you have pretty much instant throttle response. Turbos generate boost around 2250. I was in 4th gear at 25MPH and it had great pickup just like you would in a V12.

    If it wasn't for the turbo spooling sounds you would hardly know its a turbocharged car. It doesn't have that whooshing sound you get in say a 911 tt. Torque is more linear, not as peaky as the 12c or 650.

    At higher speeds the car was seriously planted, especially the fronts (compared to my 458 which was light at speed). Its one of very few road cars I feel comfortable reaching for the top end.

    Its probably faster than a 675 although 675 has more of that go-kart feel. But its not a 675 replacement and it would be unfair to call it that. As a 650 replacement its a huge step up. The 720 is 2/3rds road car and 1/3 track car whereas the 675 is 1/3 road car and 2/3rds track car.
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  6. exoticcardreamer

    exoticcardreamer Formula 3

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    One thing I'm having a hard time grappling with is the 0 to 190 mph time. It's 8/10th's of a second behind p1 to get to that speed. If we took supercar driver reference when they did the918/p1/laf comparison to 186 mph it would seem that 720s would be faster then 918 and laferrari to that speed.

    That is super, super fast and would just be another level above 488/675/650/f12/aventador/ av sv, etc.

    One of the very first things I'm going to try to test out when I get my hands on it.
     
  7. frefan

    frefan F1 Veteran

    Apr 21, 2004
    7,370
    #807 frefan, May 30, 2017
    Last edited: May 30, 2017
    I didn't do any timing so can't say. It 'feels' p1 fast, and pulls hard all the way into 7th. It may be possible as it has less downforce than p1. Will be interesting to see your results.
     
  8. SoCal to az

    SoCal to az F1 World Champ
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    Nov 25, 2012
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    Great photos and great review. No doubt that the 720 is fast as hell. Im torn on the looks but will get a chance to check it out locally next week.
     
  9. frefan

    frefan F1 Veteran

    Apr 21, 2004
    7,370
    #809 frefan, May 30, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  10. Jo Sta7

    Jo Sta7 F1 Rookie
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    That's interesting. I was under the impression that the P1 felt mentally fast, like a whole level above a 675.
     
  11. Jo Sta7

    Jo Sta7 F1 Rookie
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    SCD wasn't best for any of the cars. I don't think there is much reason to doubt that on a good (great maybe) surface the P1 could get close to Mclarens 16.5 second 0-186 mph claim. That would put it about 5 seconds faster than the 720 S to that speed. So not on P1 level but not too far off.

    Could also be why Mclaren was vocal about offering updated to the P1, to make sure it stays a level up in performance.
     
  12. frefan

    frefan F1 Veteran

    Apr 21, 2004
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    P1 is mental fast and a level above 675LT. If I had to bet I'd guess 720 is quicker than LT but not above P1. How close it is to P1 I don't know. The lower drag makes a big difference at the higher speeds.
     
  13. exoticcardreamer

    exoticcardreamer Formula 3

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    Just another data point when we were at COTA from turn 11 to turn 12 (the main straight on the back).

    P1 with semi pro got to 181 mph and 918 with factory driver got to 175 (different day with different track conditiions) (both from speedometers and not GPS). P1 was in race mode with more drag (compared to SCD).
     
  14. Jo Sta7

    Jo Sta7 F1 Rookie
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    That's makes sense. 918 is a 175ish in the half mile and P1 is 180 ish. P1 is a couple seconds faster to 300 kph. Probably feels much faster the whole time, though, with the crazy noise and scramble for traction.

    Once P1 hooks up I'm not sure any road car ever created (prior to Chiron) could ever really keep up with it.
     
  15. Sfumato

    Sfumato F1 World Champ

    Nov 1, 2003
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    Michael, thank you for comments. Really addresses the few issues the 650 had. I suspect the long pedal compensated for the slower boost, as once you were done shoving pedal, boost arrived hard. Now it'll be more in line with NA cars, and the V12 torque feeling fills in boost gap.
    Very happy it is easier to use in traffic, I already liked 650-675 useability. Lift quick and doesn't change handling like Ferrari lift. I avoided ordering it for that reason. Huracan and RS lifts had no perceptible penalty.
    The track cams/parking cams make it easy, I had f/r cameras in the Spec and it helped greatly.
    Love the full screen display, I'm still a looker even with cameras, but that will help with details.
    I have great expectations for track at COTA. Did suspension seem more fluid when you pushed it a bit? 650 always felt undertired, holding it back. A little slide took load off front and it settled, but entry always felt hesitant. Spec and Huracan never did that.
    Glad your trip was enjoyable.
    Btw, the 599 was such a disappointing car in so many ways. Great engine in a Corvette. Sad compared to a Maranello, slower but so much nicer to drive. GTO was lumpen as well. So huge. LaF is hulking too, esp next to P1. Sad.
     
  16. frefan

    frefan F1 Veteran

    Apr 21, 2004
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    I know what you mean about feeling undertired, my LT feels that way but in a fun/challenging way, and the P1 feels that way in a downright scary kinda way. The 720 feels more planted, probably because they are limiting torque in the lower gears (similar to 488). I was able to get small slides powering out of turns and its smoother than LT (which is pretty darn good if you're gutsy enough to go there).

    The rears were more planted under hard braking in a straight line. Not the typical wiggle you got in 650/P1.

    I got to drive over 2,000 miles and averaged 120, car is so good at the big sweepers the suspension is very flat. The toll roads in France are considerably better than I80 (smoother and less traffic) so we could really fly. In big cities roads were not great but what was cool is 720 just did everything well. I know the word supercar is thrown around waay too much (488 IMO is not a supercar) but 720S just ticks all the boxes and suspension is a large part of it.

    From 120-180 the acceleration feels the same as 60-120, thats the aero efficiency working, they put a lot of work into that (ala eye sockets). I think over 100 it accelerates faster than LT, we had a 688 with us and the 720 would pull away from it. Probably a combination of better aero, bigger engine, more boost and of course the massive wing on the 688 didn't help it either lol.

    In track mode the display is like p1, with colored shift lights and audible shift indicator which I like.
     
  17. Jo Sta7

    Jo Sta7 F1 Rookie
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    Thanks for the detailed descriptions of your experience. They are a nice insight.

    In regards to your P1 being scary comment, an associate of mine who has a P1 and 918 has told me how under hard acceleration the P1 can squiggle around and cause him to lift for fear of crashing. The 918 for him feels planted at any speed/surface. He prefers the drama of the P1 and thinks it feels quicker when it grabs traction. It's just that traction can be tough to find. Interestingly he's never really measured acceleration in his P1. His 918 has done 10 seconds flat to 150 mph and 176 in the half mile.
     
  18. Sfumato

    Sfumato F1 World Champ

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    Got my vin. In QC I think. Dealer demo en route airfreight now.
    Should get me thru next chemo or 3.
    Michael, forgot about wiggle. Glad it's gone. Figured it was air going around the airbrake sides.
    Get used to it but busy at 150+
     
  19. frefan

    frefan F1 Veteran

    Apr 21, 2004
    7,370
    With P1 it depends what mode you're in. I'm referring to race mode, which there is NO traction control. So you have to lift a little to modulate the wheelspin. Which of course is losing time so yes I'd expect it to be slower in that situation. Or you can go into boost mode and manage the e-motor with the ipas button which works well too. The e-motor wont kick in until your wheel is pointed straight. Its definately a car in which you need to know what you're doing and its always teaching me things which is fun. It reminds me of a modern day F40, both are real drivers cars and quite exciting to drive beyond just pure straight-line acceleration.

    In sport mode the p1 is quite civilized.
     
  20. frefan

    frefan F1 Veteran

    Apr 21, 2004
    7,370
    Congrats mine was on assembly line last week not sure where its at now. Also a dealer demo.

    Key to the wiggle is to not fight it too much. But I won't miss it. Not sure how they fixed it but airbrake is like 50% bigger so loads more DF.
     
  21. Sfumato

    Sfumato F1 World Champ

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    I think wider wing with swept ends creates less turbulence and more df as you said.

    I grew to ignore it, treat it like a laggy ABS/grip issue. Agree it won't be missed. Still, thing stopped like you dropped anchor.

    Glad you know vagaries of the old car, really helps put new one in perspective. Can't wait for my 720. Thank you.
     
  22. frefan

    frefan F1 Veteran

    Apr 21, 2004
    7,370
    From driving behind another 720S for over 1000 miles I came to a few conclusions:

    1. You can definitely hear the car in front of you. Its a nice sound but not an over the top cop bait sound.

    2. There is a lot of p1 styling to look at. This is coming from a p1 owner. Not in a downright cut/paste sort of way but its there. In no way do I think that is a bad thing. I could stare at it all day.

    3. The rear wing is quite spectacular. Instead of the p1 wing which lifts up and basically separates itself from the body, the 720S wing maintains part of the body even when its up. The mere shape of it is integrated whether its up or down. Its quite brilliant. I'll post up a pic so you can see what I mean.
     
  23. frefan

    frefan F1 Veteran

    Apr 21, 2004
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    #823 frefan, Jun 5, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  24. frefan

    frefan F1 Veteran

    Apr 21, 2004
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    #824 frefan, Jun 5, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    same car wing up (sport mode). That is standing up behind it. But when driving behind it you see how the wing mends with the body like in the next orange car. Imagine a big ass wing like the F40 that simply disappears and still looks good, pretty amazing feat actually.
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  25. Sfumato

    Sfumato F1 World Champ

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    Here's a good comparison [​IMG][​IMG]
     

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